The bodies held little of interest. Not surprising, considering how the world was these days. Miles nudged a corpse with his foot after searching it. He grunted and moved on. His shoulder felt like a knot of pain, no matter how still he kept it. They would need to get to that medical care right quick. Otherwise, both he and Alice risked an infection. Once one set in, the prognosis was rarely good.
Alice and The Librarian searched one area, while Miles took the other side. A small storage building stood, blood and bullet holes told the tale of the bodies scattered inside. He rummaged through the barrels and boxes sitting in the back. He felt lucky to find some gauze and a penknife. The gauze would come in handy when they got patched up.
Miles left the bloody building and walked over to the other side, and found Alice grabbing blankets and rushing around the corner. Curious, he followed her, finding the Librarian bent over a delirious 'Annie'. Miles raised his eyebrows, surprised that the woman was alive. From the look of her, the Crawlers gave her a once-over. The Trailviner's counter-attack probably saved her life.
The woman was babbling incoherently as they helped her get cleaned up and on the makeshift travois for the journey to the hospital. Miles told them he would watch their rear, knowing he'd never be able to drag her along with his shoulder in this condition. They didn't argue, Alice took point, since her foot and shoulder wouldn't allow her to drag the raving woman either. The Librarian grabbed one end and set off without complaint. Miles nodded in approval.
'Annie's' voice rose and she started yelling about her backpack, how they couldn't leave it behind. The three looked at each other and shrugged. The Librarian told her they couldn't find it, which just seemed to agitate her more. Alice stopped at the corpse of a Crawler who was fleeing the battle and grabbed a blood-spattered bag. 'Annie' made a choking cry and grabbed it from Alice and hugged it to herself like a prized teddy bear. Miles grunted.
"Maybe that'll shut her up," he muttered.
No such luck. The woman babbled the entire journey, not stopping even when they approached the door of the hospital in the darkening light. A burly man watched them as they approached and knocked on the wall behind him with one beefy hand as he saw their injuries. Several men came out and took charge of 'Annie' and grabbed their weapons. They were too tired to argue.
Soon, they were ushered to a small room and told to wait. Miles felt uncomfortable waiting, especially without his sword, but his shoulder hurt too damn much to raise a fuss. They waited until a older woman entered the room and gave them a look. She nodded to herself and pulled out a bunch of supplies, and then started cleaning up their wounds. She went about her business with a brisk efficiency, not caring how rough she was with them. She wordlessly stuck a stick between Miles' teeth before quickly digging the bullet from his shoulder. Her effort left his vision red-tinged from pain.
The others required less painful attention, though all of them aside from the Librarian looked like they were in some stage of mummification by the time they were done. Miles' arm was secured to his side and immobilized with a splint and several layers of gauze. The woman nodded and told the two large men in the room with them to take 'Annie' up to a room, then fixed the rest of them with a look.
"What happened to you folks out there? Couldn't be bandits. They don't have guns."
Miles grimaced. "Don't know what to tell you. These guys did. Maybe they're deserters." He shrugged with his good shoulder. When the woman fixed her eye upon the other two, they just echoed Miles. The doctor frowned and pointed after 'Annie'.
"Her concussion is serious. I suggest you stay over night and wake her up every couple of hours. Keep her away from booze and she should recover. There's a kitchen down the hall, if you're hungry." She turned around and walked out of the room, back stiff.
Miles frowned. "What was that about?"
"I don't know," the Librarian said, lips pursed. "But maybe we should be ready to get out of here at a moments notice?"
Miles and Alice both nodded. "I like that plan," Alice said in a whisper.
That agreed on, the Librarian went up to check on 'Annie' while Miles and Alice went to the kitchen. It was set up like a cafeteria, a line of food stations where a person scooped something onto your plate. They took their loaded plates to an empty table and sat quietly.
Shortly, an older man and a much younger woman walked in, covered in dust and grime. A weary look in their eyes told the tale of a hard life on the road. They sat down, occasionally looking at Miles and Alice with curiosity and speculation. The man stood and walked over to them after a time and sat, looking at them with interest.
"Yeah?" Miles said, putting a gruff edge to his voice that was meant to warn him off.
"You both look like people who would know a thing or two about trouble."
Miles eyed him. "Yeah? And what if we do? What's it to you?"
The man shrugged, "Well, there might be an opportunity for you if you can handle trouble."
Miles frowned. "Look, we've got enough on our plate without a stranger wandering by and quizzing us about how we handle trouble."
The man shrugged and stood. "Your loss, mate." He moved off and rejoined his female companion.
Miles grunted. "C'mon. Let's find the Librarian. Her idea of being ready to move at a moments notice is looking better and better by the minute." Alice nodded and gave the two strangers a hard stare.
"I agree. Something about those two make me nervous."
Miles stood and set his empty plate on a stack of others. "You and me, both, Alice. You and me, both."
Alice and The Librarian searched one area, while Miles took the other side. A small storage building stood, blood and bullet holes told the tale of the bodies scattered inside. He rummaged through the barrels and boxes sitting in the back. He felt lucky to find some gauze and a penknife. The gauze would come in handy when they got patched up.
Miles left the bloody building and walked over to the other side, and found Alice grabbing blankets and rushing around the corner. Curious, he followed her, finding the Librarian bent over a delirious 'Annie'. Miles raised his eyebrows, surprised that the woman was alive. From the look of her, the Crawlers gave her a once-over. The Trailviner's counter-attack probably saved her life.
The woman was babbling incoherently as they helped her get cleaned up and on the makeshift travois for the journey to the hospital. Miles told them he would watch their rear, knowing he'd never be able to drag her along with his shoulder in this condition. They didn't argue, Alice took point, since her foot and shoulder wouldn't allow her to drag the raving woman either. The Librarian grabbed one end and set off without complaint. Miles nodded in approval.
'Annie's' voice rose and she started yelling about her backpack, how they couldn't leave it behind. The three looked at each other and shrugged. The Librarian told her they couldn't find it, which just seemed to agitate her more. Alice stopped at the corpse of a Crawler who was fleeing the battle and grabbed a blood-spattered bag. 'Annie' made a choking cry and grabbed it from Alice and hugged it to herself like a prized teddy bear. Miles grunted.
"Maybe that'll shut her up," he muttered.
No such luck. The woman babbled the entire journey, not stopping even when they approached the door of the hospital in the darkening light. A burly man watched them as they approached and knocked on the wall behind him with one beefy hand as he saw their injuries. Several men came out and took charge of 'Annie' and grabbed their weapons. They were too tired to argue.
Soon, they were ushered to a small room and told to wait. Miles felt uncomfortable waiting, especially without his sword, but his shoulder hurt too damn much to raise a fuss. They waited until a older woman entered the room and gave them a look. She nodded to herself and pulled out a bunch of supplies, and then started cleaning up their wounds. She went about her business with a brisk efficiency, not caring how rough she was with them. She wordlessly stuck a stick between Miles' teeth before quickly digging the bullet from his shoulder. Her effort left his vision red-tinged from pain.
The others required less painful attention, though all of them aside from the Librarian looked like they were in some stage of mummification by the time they were done. Miles' arm was secured to his side and immobilized with a splint and several layers of gauze. The woman nodded and told the two large men in the room with them to take 'Annie' up to a room, then fixed the rest of them with a look.
"What happened to you folks out there? Couldn't be bandits. They don't have guns."
Miles grimaced. "Don't know what to tell you. These guys did. Maybe they're deserters." He shrugged with his good shoulder. When the woman fixed her eye upon the other two, they just echoed Miles. The doctor frowned and pointed after 'Annie'.
"Her concussion is serious. I suggest you stay over night and wake her up every couple of hours. Keep her away from booze and she should recover. There's a kitchen down the hall, if you're hungry." She turned around and walked out of the room, back stiff.
Miles frowned. "What was that about?"
"I don't know," the Librarian said, lips pursed. "But maybe we should be ready to get out of here at a moments notice?"
Miles and Alice both nodded. "I like that plan," Alice said in a whisper.
That agreed on, the Librarian went up to check on 'Annie' while Miles and Alice went to the kitchen. It was set up like a cafeteria, a line of food stations where a person scooped something onto your plate. They took their loaded plates to an empty table and sat quietly.
Shortly, an older man and a much younger woman walked in, covered in dust and grime. A weary look in their eyes told the tale of a hard life on the road. They sat down, occasionally looking at Miles and Alice with curiosity and speculation. The man stood and walked over to them after a time and sat, looking at them with interest.
"Yeah?" Miles said, putting a gruff edge to his voice that was meant to warn him off.
"You both look like people who would know a thing or two about trouble."
Miles eyed him. "Yeah? And what if we do? What's it to you?"
The man shrugged, "Well, there might be an opportunity for you if you can handle trouble."
Miles frowned. "Look, we've got enough on our plate without a stranger wandering by and quizzing us about how we handle trouble."
The man shrugged and stood. "Your loss, mate." He moved off and rejoined his female companion.
Miles grunted. "C'mon. Let's find the Librarian. Her idea of being ready to move at a moments notice is looking better and better by the minute." Alice nodded and gave the two strangers a hard stare.
"I agree. Something about those two make me nervous."
Miles stood and set his empty plate on a stack of others. "You and me, both, Alice. You and me, both."